In 1913, the family moved to the Kingaroy area in Queensland and established a property named Bethany.

They struggled through the depression but later things improved, and Joh designed and constructed a peanut thresher which proved very successful. He also pioneered the use of crawlers and scrub chain clearing.

Other notable incidents of Joh's reign included his various attempts to legislate proposals that would allow the mining of the Great Barrier Reef and other places of ecological significance, as well as the shifting of the electoral boundaries in order to increase his chances of re-election. He also argued against World Heritage listings and for the demolition of the historic Bellevue Hotel in Brisbane.

He was tried for perjury after the inquiry, but the Crown chose not to proceed after the jury failed to reach a verdict in controversial circumstances. It was later revealed that the lone dissenting jury member had been a member of "Friends of Joh", a lobby group designed to shore up support for the former Premier.